Two Militants Killed in Udhampur Encounter; Security Forces Widen Search

Two unidentified militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, officials said, even as troops widened their search in the area to rule out the presence of more armed men.

According to officers, security personnel noticed suspicious movement in the Majalta area late on Wednesday evening. A joint team launched a search operation and detected further movement, they said. The militants opened fire on the team, which retaliated, triggering a gunfight in which both were killed.

The Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said the operation was launched during the intervening night of 16 and 17 September after confirmed inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in the general area of Brattal, Udhampur.

"Despite hostile weather, difficult terrain and poor visibility, troops of White Knight Corps, Jammu Kashmir Police and CRPF launched a targeted counter-terrorism operation resulting in neutralisation of two terrorists," the Corps said.

Arms and ammunition were recovered from the dead militants, officers said, adding that efforts were on to establish their identity and affiliation.

The cordon around the site was strengthened and a large combing operation was launched to check whether any other militants were present in the area following the gunfight. The Army said the operation was still in progress, with search and surveillance continuing, and that security forces remained deployed to trace and neutralise any remaining threat.